Counter frame latch joint



Nov. 29, v1966 B. D. cooK 3,288,307

i COUNTER FRAME LATCH JOINT Filed April 19, 1965 United States Patent Olice 3,288,307 Patented Nov. 29, 1966 3,288,307 CUNTER FRAME LATCH JOINT Billy D. Cook, Cambridge City, Ind., assigner to M & D Store Fixtures, Inc., a corporation of Indiana Filed Apr. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 449,099 3 Claims. (Cl. 211-177) This invention relates to sectional frames adapted to be rapidly assembled and disassembled and is particularly useful in frames for use in store counters and merchandise display gondolas.

It is a common practice to make one of the sections of a multiple section gondola frame closed at both ends and thus relatively rigid so as to give rigidity to the entire frame, while the added sections are closed at one end but open at the other. The open end of the rst added section is detachably united with one of the closed ends of the rigid frame section. Subsequent added sections are progressively added to the irst added section by attaching the open end of each section being added to the closed end of a section just previously added.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel snap locking mechanism for locking a relatively loose frame section member at the open end of an added section to a closed rigid end of another frame section.

Another object is to provide such a snap locking mechanism which functions by virtue of a lengthwise axial movement of said relatively loose frame member relative to a corresponding rigidly fixed member in another section, whereby the entire added section is translated into juxtaposed relation with said other section.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a novel snap locking mechanism which is invisible from the outside after two frame sections have been united thereby but which is readily engageable manually to release the same whenever it is desired to separate said frame sections.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing objects as well as further objects and advantages will be made manifest in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: v

FIG. l is a diagrammatic perspective view of a rigid frame section closed at both ends, and united with the open end of an added frame section by the novel snap locking mechanism of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. l and illustrating said snap locking mechanism, said view also showing, in broken lines, how said locking mechanism may be manually released for separating said frame sections when this is desired.

FIG. 3 is a View similar to FIG. 2 illustrating the portions of said two frame sections in which said latch mechanism is embodied, separated as they appear just before uniting the same or just after separating said sections.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

Referring specifically to the` drawings the invention is shown as embodied in a gondola frame which includes a rigid section 11 which is closed at both ends and an added section 12 which is open at one end.

The rigid section 11, which is referred to in the art as a bridge assembly, includes tubular metallic posts 13 and 14 which are joined near their lower ends by an inverted metallic channel member 15, the opposite ends of which are welded to said posts, and at their upper ends by an inverted metallic channel member 16 opposite end portions of which overlie and rest upon upper ends of posts 13 and 14 and are welded thereto as by welding material 17.

The rigid frame section 11 is further reinforced by a vertical tubular metal frame member 18 disposed between the lower and upper horizontal channel members 15 and 16, midway between posts 13 and 14, with its upper and lower ends welded to horizontal members 15 and 16. Rigid section 11 is supported in a vertical plane by two pairs of 19 and 20 transverse members which extend horizontally in opposite directions from posts 13 and 14 at their points of juncture with lower channel member 15. The members 19 and 20 have legs 25 and 26 which terminate at their lower ends in the same horizontal plane with the posts 13 and 14 and give rigid support to the entire section 11. Outer ends of transverse members 19 and 20 are connected by front and rear channels 27 and 23.

Added section 12 is identical in construction with rigid section 11 just described with the exception that it is open at one end. That is, added section 12 has a single post 29, lower and upper inverted metallic channel members 30 and 31 and an intermediate vertical tubular metal frame member 32 which are welded together in exactly the same manner as post 13, lower and upper channel members 15 and 16 and intermediate vertical tubular member 18 of rigid section 11. Added section 12 also is provided with a single pair of transverse members 33 having feet 35 which members are secured to and extend in opposite directions from post 29 as shown in FIG. l. Added section 12 also has front and rear channels 38 and 39 which connect respectively with outer end portions of transverse members 33 so that said channels are disposed parallel with and in the same plane as lower inverted channel member 30 of added section 12.

FIG. 1 shows the gondola frame 10 after its being made up by joining the open end of added section 12 to one of the closed ends of rigid section 11. The present invention is provided to facilitate the uniting of sections 11 and 12 in this manner by a movement of translation of the added section 12 relative to the rigid section 11 with the horizontal members to be joined in alignment respectively with each other during said movement. The invention is here disclosed as performing the specic function of rigidly uniting the upper inverted metallic channel member 31 of added section 12 with the upper inverted metallic channel member 16 of rigid section 11 incidental to such a translatory movement which terminates in bringing the respective horizontally aligned members of the two sections into abutment at their juxtaposed ends.

The invention comprises a latch mechanism 40 which includes a corner portion 41 of rigid section 11 which lies at the left of FIG. 3 and in which upper metallic channel lmember 16 is united by welding material 17 to the top end of post 14, and an adjacent portion 42 of upper inverted metallic channel member 31 of added section 12.

At this point it is to be noted that the upper metallic channel member 16 and its counterpart upper channel member 31 are identical in structure and cross-sectional dimensions, each Ehaving a main wall 43 which is horizontally disposed upwardly and sidewalls 44 which extend downwardly from the side edges of said main wall, the lower edges of said sidewalls -being bent inwardly to form horizontal co-planar flanges 45.

The latch mechanism 40 also includes a channel shaped tongue member 46 having `a central lmain wall 47 from which side walls 48 extend upwardly, said tongue member extending a substantial distance into and making a close sliding fit with the end portion 42 of upper channel member 31 shown in FIG. 3, and being rigidly united therewith by spot welding S between the sidewalls 48 and the sidewalls 44 of channel member 31. A substantial portion of the tongue member 46 thus extends from the end of channel member 31 to form a tongue 49'. A slot 50 is formed centrally in main wall 47 of tongue member 46 `so as to be approximately co-extensive with said tongue.

Lying flat against main wall 47 of tongue member`46 `and secured thereto close to the inner end of the latter, as by a rivet 55, is a flat leaf spring 56 which is bent to extend downwardly at a right langle into the near end of slot 50 to for-m a snap latch 57, the lower end of which is bent -obliquely upwardly and forwardly through slot 50 to form a cam 58 which is adapted to engage the upper end of post 14 when the tongue 49 is inserted into the open end of upper channel member 16 as shown in FIG. 3 Iso that `said latch will not impede said tongue being entirely inserted into channel member 16 to bring this channel member `and channel member 31 into abuting relation. As this movement is completed, the snap latch 57 moves inwardly over the wall 59 of post 14 and is snapped downwardly by leaf spring 56 behind said Wall as Shown in FIG. 2.

The leaf spring 56 e-xtends inwardly beyond the cam 58 to form a handle 60 which engages the main wall 43 of channel member 16 `as the tongue 49 is being inserted into said channel, said engagement supporting the forward end of cam section 58 of said leaf spring so as to prevent it being deformed by said action and assuring that such action results merely in a camming effect which lifts the snap latch 57 upwardly pending the fullV insertion of the tongue 49 into channel member 16.

The handle 60 `also is manually enga-geable by extending a screw driver 70 upwardly between the anges 45 and through the slot 50 of the tongue 49 to lift the snap latch 57 upwardly 'away from in front of the post wall 59, as shown by broken lines 71 in FIG. 2, whereby the tongue 49 may be readily withdrawn from the channel member 16.

Any of various conventional slot and lug devices may be provided for joining the free end of lower channel member 30 with tubular post 14 and this may be accomplished simultaneously with the translatory movement of the added section 12 toward the rigid section 11 incidental to the engaging of the latch mechanism 42 for uniting the free end of upper channel 31 of added section 12 to the rigidly positioned right end of upper channel member 16 of rigid section 11. In a like manner the free ends of front and rear channel members 38 and 39 .of added section 12 may be united co-incidentally with the outer ends of adjacent transverse member 20.

An improved means for .accomplishing the contemporary connection of the members 30, 38 and 39 of the added section 12 to rigid section 11 is illustra-ted in the co-pending application of Gerald H. Sedo, Serial No. 431,399, led February 9, 1965.

The claims are:

1. In a demountable sectional frame structure for store counters, merchandise display gondolas and the like, the combination of: a frame corner including a vertical, sheet-metal, tubular post, yand a horizontal sheet metal channel member having a horizontal upwardly disposed main wall and downwardly extending -side walls Whi-ch terminate at their lower edges with inturned, coplanar horizontal flanges inner edges of which are spaced to form -a longitudinal downwardly disposed central opening in said channel member, |an endwise-open end portion of said channel member resting on and being welded to the top end of said post to form a right angle with said post; a second and separate sheet metal channel member, like the first such member `above recited, and having an open end; an inverted channel shaped sheet metal tongue member tting closely within and welded in place in said open end of said second channel member and extending a substantial distance outwardly beyond said open end to form a tongue, said tongue member including a horizontal downwardly disposed solid wall and side walls extending upwardly therefrom -there being a longitudinal slot centrally located in said wall of said tongue said slot extending close to said open end of said second channel member, said tongue being received with a close sliding fit within the open end portion of said lirst channel member to relatively rigidly orient said rst and second channel members in alignment and with their ends in abutment; and leaf spring means secured to said solid horizontal wall of said ytongue member a substantial distance Within said open end of said second channel member said spring means being narrower than said slot and being formed downwardly through said slot to provide a snap latch means engaging within the upper end of said post to prevent -accidental withdrawal of said tongue from said first channel member, said spring means being formed obliquely upwardly and forwardly from said snap latch means to extend upwardly through -said slot and form a cam means engaging the upper end .of said post when said tongue is inserted in said rst channel member and thus camming said snap latch means upwardly during said insertion of said tongue.

2. A combination as recited in claim 1 wherein said cam means extends forwardly beyond the upper end of said post whereby it is engageable manually through said longitudinal central opening in said first channel member to lift said snap latch means and release said tongue permitting it to be withdrawn from said first channel member.

3. A combination as recited in claim 2 wherein the forward end of said cam means engages the horizontal wall of said first channel member when said cam means is lifted by engaging with said post, thus supporting said leaf spring means against undue distortion by said cam action.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,687,912 8/1954 Beauchamp 293-64 3,021,961 .2/1962 Ruhnke 211--177 3,123,221 3/1964 Haag 211-177 3,217,449 11/ 1965 Levere 52--143 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

W. D. LOULAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A DEMOUNTABLE SECTIONAL FRAME STRUCTURE FOR STORE COUNTERS, MERCHANDISE DISPLAY GONDOLAS AND THE LIKE, THE COMBINATION OF: A FRAME CORNER INCLUDING A VERTICAL, SHEET-METAL, TUBULAR POST, AND A HORIZONTAL SHEET METAL CHANNEL MEMBER HAVING A HORIZONTAL UPWARDLY DISPOSED MAIN WALL AND DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING SIDE WALLS WHICH TERMINATE AT THEIR LOWER EDGES WITH INTURNED, COPLANAR HORIZONTAL FLANGES INNER EDGES OF WHICH ARE SPACED TO FORM A LONGITUDINAL DOWNWARDLY DISPOSED CENTRAL OPENING IN SAID CHANNEL MEMBER, AN ENDWISE-OPEN END PORTION OF SAID CHANNEL MEMBER RESTING ON AND BEING WELDED TO THE TOP END OF SAID POST TO FORM A RIGHT ANGLE WITH SAID POST; A SECOND AND SEPARATE SHEET METAL CHANNEL MEMBER, LIKE THE FIRST SUCH MEMBER ABOVE RECITED, AND HAVING AN OPEN END; AN INVERTED CHANNEL SHAPED SHEET METAL TONGUE MEMBER FITTING CLOSELY WITHIN AND WELDED IN PLACE IN SAID OPEN END OF SAID SECOND CHANNEL MEMBER AND EXTENDING A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE OUTWARDLY BEYOND SAID OPEN END TO FORM A TONGUE, SAID TONGUE MEMBER INCLUDING A HORIZONTAL DOWNWARDLY DISPOSED SOLID WALL AND SIDE WALLS EXTENDING UPWARDLY THEREFROM THERE BEING A LONGITUDINAL SLOT CENTRALLY LOCATED IN SAID WALL OF SAID TONGUE SAID SLOT EXTENDING CLOSE TO SAID OPEN END OF SAID SECOND CHANNEL MEMBER, SAID TONGUE BEING RECEIVED WITH A CLOSE SLIDING FIT WITHIN THE OPEN END PORTION OF SAID FIRST CHANNEL MEMBER TO RELATIVELY RIGIDLY ORIENT SAID FIRST AND SECOND CHANNEL MEMBERS IN ALIGNMENT AND WITH THEIR ENDS IN ABUTMENT; AND LEAF SPRING MEANS SECURED TO SAID SOLID HORIZONTAL WALL OF SAID TONGUE MEMBER A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE WITHIN SAID OPEN END OF SAID SECOND CHANNEL MEMBER SAID SPRING MEANS BEING NARROWER THAN SAID SLOT AND BEING FORMED DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID SLOT TO PROVIDE A SNAP LATCH MEANS ENGAGING WITHIN THE UPPER END OF SAID POST TO PREVENT ACCIDENTAL WITHDRAWAL OF SAID TONGUE FROM SAID FIRST CHANNEL MEMBER, SAID SPRING MEANS BEING FORMED OBLIQUELY UPWARDLY AND FORWARDLY FROM SAID SNAP LATCH MEANS TO EXTEND UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID SLOT AND FORM A CAM MEANS ENGAGING THE UPPER END OF SAID POST WHEN SAID TONGUE IS INSERTED IN SAID FIRST CHANNEL MEMBER AND THUS CAMMING SAID SNAP LATCH MEANS UPWARDLY DURING SAID INSERTION OF SAID TONGUE. 